GhostHacker

Hello, I have a 924S with a five speed and 80,000 miles. My question is wether or not it is wise to change the fluid as I haven't done it before since I owned the car (5,000 miles ago) and I have no records of anyone else doing it ever. I bought a handpump and 3 liters of redline MT90 and my transmission is non LSD. I ask this because a friend was saying that having the first fluid change at 80,000 miles can cause more problems than it fixes. Thanks in advance.

seb928s

It wouldn't cause any problems changing now. Make sure the fill plug can be undone first it's a 17mm allen. Also you will need something to pump the oil in there since you will not be able to get a bottle there. I used the power bleeder for the brakes on that. I let mine drain overnight and jacked up passenager side.

pete944

Your friend is wrong. Changing the fluid is a good idea.

Welcome to Rennlist!

hosrom_951

The transmission wouldn't take 3 liters, heck i think just under 1 liter would fill it (note that it should be 0.6-0.8mm at the fill hole) Just fill it up and make sure that the oil level is the same with the bottom of the filler hole.

Go synthetic while your there...........

Techno Duck

Redline MT90 helped my 1st too 2nd grinds significantly, but did not stop it completley. I did however notice smoother shifting through all gears once i did change the fluid, and like you had no records of when it was changed last or if it was ever changed. Though its a pain in the neck to fill the oil back up, there are a number of approaches you can take. I found if you take a Poland Spring Sport water bottle with the squirt top, you can just squirt the oil into the filler hole and refill the bottle as necesary. You can also go for the gravity fill method with a length of tube. Or you can try the method i used, take a nitro radio control fuel bottle and use that too refill. The bottles have a very long and narrow neck on them that allows for easy movement.

Serge944

It takes about 2 liters of fluid. Redline is supposed to be the best, followed by the non-synthetic Swepco 201.

Using a small bottle (ie. brake fluid) is possible, but it is a bit messy and tedious. I recommend a pump.

GlenL

I've got a gravity-feed set up with a funnel attached to a long hose. Clamp the funnel to the ladder and run the hose in through the rear fender well. Takes a while, but keep topping off the funnel and it'll be full before the garage is clean.

Porsche-O-Phile

Why would changing fluid EVER be bad? Come on, common sense. . . Tell your friend he's nuts.

Helstrm

Why not use the same type of pump used for the lower on an outboard motor. Just pump the fluid right in??? The pump is less than $5 at any boat supply store.

tifosiman

I think that is some old misconception from old-skool US-muscle car guys. I remember I had a 78 Z-28 back in the mid-80's that had high miles on it when I bought it, didn't look like the fluid in the auto-trans had ever been changed. My mechanic told me he refused to change the fluid because it would make things worse and the trans would fail (??????). Anyway, I changed the fluid myself and it ran like a top for another 20K miles before I sold it.

hosrom_951

Same applies for the BMW automatic transmission, dealers and specialists just refuse to replace the fluid, but it CLEARLY stated on the manual to identify the type of transmission, fluid and replacement......weird

brad-cam

Yeah, I think it depends on the manufacturer. My BMW 740 has a "lifetime fill" auto trans. It takes special Esso/Shell fluid that costs about $15/quart (it takes 10 quarts!). There are lots of reports from the 7-Series board about auto trans failing after changing the fluid. Urban legend ? I don't know. In any event, changing the fluid in the 944 trans is definitely a good idea, and Redline is my personal favorite - what a difference !!

theedge

I think the problems are usually connected to auto trannies...

For easy filling, boil up a BIG tub of water, then let the bottles of gear oil sit in that for a while. This warms the fluid up and it flows easier, A LOT easier.

I used a length of garden hose for filling. It fits perfectly in the fill hole. Just stick it in there and run it up over the tire with a funnel in the end and fill away.

Scootin159

The thoughts that you don't change the fluid come from automatic transmissions. I won't discredit that idea however as I've heard stories of auto's blowing up after a fluid change if the fluid hasn't been changed in over 100k miles.

As for a manual transmission....there's no reason not to change the fluid. I changed mine at 100k miles with no previous record of a change (not that there couldn't have been an unrecorded change), and haven't had a problem since (about 10k miles later).

Glad to hear your choices in tranny fluid & using the hand pump. I tried doing mine with a cheep hand pump that split moments after I started, and ended up having to do a gravity feed technique (basically put a hole in the bottom of the oil bottle & hung it up on a ladder with a piece of 1/4" hose running down into the fill hole). It worked just fine, but took almost two days to do it (could've been quicker as I didn't keep a close eye on the bottle, but must've taken at least a few hours per bottle).

As for the capacity, having 3 liters on hand is a good idea, I think mine took ~2.5L. Remember, don't fill it till it spills....only fill it to about .5" below the bottom of the fill hole.

Also, be sure to remove the fill hole plug before removing the drain plug. My drain plug came out like butter, but I had to use about a 4' breaker bar on the fill hole (no oil gets on it, so it is more likely to sieze). You'll need a 17mm allen key socket to remove it...autozone had a nice little kit for real cheep. I think they labeled it "German Transmission Hex Key Sockets", or something like that.

djantlive

Manual tranny fluid change is always good. ATF change at high mileage can cause issues and should always include a ATF conditioner.

So, go ahead and change yours!